The invention relates to marine propulsion devices such as outboard motors and more particularly to transmissions for marine propulsion devices and means therein for absorbing the propeller shaft thrust.
In those cases where a pair of outboard motors are employed in side-by-side relation, it is desireable to have counter-rotating propeller shafts to thereby reduce the steering torque generated by the propellers and to improve the overall handling of the boat. Accordingly, it is desireable to construct the gearcases in the lower units of such outboard motors such that the propeller shaft of one of the outboard motors can be driven in the counter-rotational direction without extensive structural modification of the lower unit or gearcase of that outboard motor.
Examples of prior art transmissions employed in marine propulsion devices are shown in the Kroll U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,788, issued Oct. 22, 1974; in the Shimanckas U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,855, issued June 25, 1974; and in the Shimanckas U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,814, issued May 13, 1975, each of those patents being assigned to the assignee of the present application.
Attention is also directed to the Bagge U.S. Pat. No. 3,727,574 issued Apr. 17, 1973; the Hingerty U.S. Pat. No. 2,521,368, issued Sept. 5, 1950; the Casale U.S. Pat. No. 3,154,047, issued Oct. 27, 1964; the Pichl U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,686, issued Apr. 27, 1976; and the Pichl U.S. Pat. No. 4,016,825 issued Apr. 12, 1977 showing transmission structures of marine propulsion devices.
Attention is also directed to the Rickley et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,796, issued Jan. 1, 1974 and the Forster et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,796,139, issued Mar. 12, 1974.